The Cobia Boat Company has been around for over 50 years. Here’s a close up view of the 201 CC.
MEET THE 201 CC
The Cobia 201 CC is the smallest platform in Cobia’s lineup of center consoles, which includes fishing machines ranging from 20 to 34 feet. Its mission is to provide big boat performance in a smaller and more trailerable package. The 201 CC accomplishes this task with a list of features that are usually found on larger craft, but have been ergonomically designed into this 20-footer from the get-go. When I think of historical 20-foot center consoles, the images that come to mind are smallish ten- to 15-gallon livewells (if you have one at all), pint-sized insulated fishboxes meant for modest sized bay fish and the requirement to employ a five-gallon bucket for a head with everyone onboard looking the other way when Nature called. The Cobia 201 CC dispels these stereotypes with a vengeance.
The list of standard fishing equipment includes two insulated fishboxes under the forward split bench seating that total 50 gallons (25 gallons/100 quarts each), equipped with overboard drains to make clean-ups easy at day’s end. There’s also a substantial 26-gallon recirculating livewell tucked into the port corner of the full-height transom bulkhead. A convenient 52-quart insulated cooler positioned under the console’s forward bench seat will keep the chill in your preferred beverages of the day. Rod storage was not an afterthought on this trailerable sportfisher, with a quartet of flush-mount gunwale rodholders standard, along with handy horizontal rod stowage under each coaming and a four-rod rocket launcher set at the aft end of the standard leaning post. Add an optional t-top and there’s a second four-rod rocket launcher overhead. The super-functional doublewide rear bench seat serves multiple purposes. In the “up” position it’s a comfy backrest for the seat; in the “down” position it clears the deck for max fishing room; plus lifting the seat cushion out allows excellent access to the bilge area, batteries, wiring and pumps that’s not on the deck, so it will minimize water intrusion down below. A locking transom door in the starboard corner will allow smooth access out to the swim platform for entering or exiting the cockpit, or to perform some basic maintenance on the single outboard powerplant. When you’re beaching it with the family, the standard S/S telescoping boarding ladder folds up neatly into a recess in the starboard corner of the swim platform, so it’s there when you need it and out of the way when you don’t.
The helm offers a generous amount of dash space to flush mount your favorite electronics and still has plenty of room for Yamaha multi-function gauges, along with a standard marine compass. The cushioned leaning post features a supportive backrest, which will help make your long rides across open water more comfortable. A companionway set in the starboard side of the roomy console allows access down below to a private head area that is a true blessing on a boat of this size. The substantial gunwales offer thigh-high support for angler and crew when battling those big ones to boatside. Hydraulic steering coupled to a S/S steering wheel, five heavy duty stainless steel pull-up cleats, Yamaha multi-function gauges and water separator and a self-bailing cockpit all add to the 201 CC’s positive karma.
FAST LANE PERFORMANCE
One of the best standard features on the 201 CC is her standard powerplant, which is the Yamaha F150, one of the most proven and most popular outboards that they make. This 2.7-liter in-line four cylinder four-stroke has a long legacy of providing reliable power for thousands of operating hours, while sipping fuel through a very thin straw.
Spinning a 14.5D x 15P three-blade Reliance S/S propeller, the Cobia 201 CC hit a top speed of almost 44 mph at 6050 rpms, with two people onboard and a 1/4 tank of fuel. Dialing it back to 4000 rpms, that was her real cruising sweet spot, hitting 27 mph on the GPS while drinking only 6.2 gph, for a net of 4.36 mpg. This is outstanding performance for a beefy 20-footer with a 20-degree aft deadrise deep-vee running bottom. Any thought that fuel efficiency was a trade-off for performance should be totally ignored. This mighty mite jumped up on plane in only 3.46 seconds, which is a very quick hole shot for a four-stroke. Fisherman Magazine Publisher, Mike Caruso has been aboard the 201 on several occasions and agrees that the boat is not only powered perfectly, but it’s finish, construction, materials and fish-ability factor is impressive, as is the performance in sporty seas. If you need to get to and from your destination with more urgency, advancing the Yamaha F150’s throttle to 4500 revs will dial in 31 mph at only 7.7 gph, which equates to 4.03 mpg. Nice! She’ll plane somewhere around 3200-3300 rpms without tabs, so if the seas rough up, you can back off the throttle, save fuel and get a relatively comfortable ride at the same time. From what I can determine, this motor is a perfect complement to the 201 CC hull and I’d go with the flow on this one. Get a closer look at the 201 CC at dealer near you. For more information visit www.cobiaboats.com.
SUBSCRIBE. FISH. WIN!
One Fisherman subscriber – with a little bit of luck – could be fishing on a new Cobia center console next season! And in this case, membership certainly has its advantages.
The Dream Boat Challenge is open to all Fisherman subscribers from New England down through New York, along the Jersey Shore and down the coast of Delaware. Subscribe, enter a fish and you can win – it’s as simple as that.
The Fisherman’s Dream Boat Challenge runs from April through November and once again features eight different species categories with 15 final positions for each; a total of 120 possible entry slots for your chance to win a new Cobia 201 center console powered by a Yamaha 150HP in-line four stroke outboard motor, complete with a Furuno GP1670F GPS Chart Plotter/Fish Finder.
A look at the official rules of the Dream Boat Challenge can be found here, and the most up-to-date standings can be found by visiting our current standings page. Remember that you must be a Fisherman subscriber in good standing to be eligible to win any of thew prizes listed.
